Month: January 2011

January 29, 2011

~ Julia

Twenty-nine days into my second Day Zero Project, and I’ve finally posted the partial list to the blog.

The Day Zero Project website is still down, and I didn’t want to wait much longer to post my list, so I will have my list here on the blog, perhaps even permanently.

If you look, you will see that the list is indeed incomplete.  Something that I’ve noticed through almost all of the blogs that I follow for people who are participating in their own Day Zero Project is that the lists inevitably change.  What is an important goal to you when you start the project may not be as important to you in 2 1/2 years when the project is complete.  I didn’t want to just put “filler” onto the list that I would inevitably change, anyway.

I left myself open to let insporation hit me as I was going through the project.

Even in my complete list, I’ve followed the spirit of the goal-setting:

  1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
  2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
  3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
  4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
  5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

For everyone playing along at home, I officially started keeping record of this project on January 1, 2011, and will finish the project on September 28, 2013.

Inspector

~ Julia

In college, I took the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator, and at the time, I was an INFJ, which I believe was an accurate reflection of the person that I was then.

Four years later, having 4 years of working experience, I believe I have changed.  I was sparked to take the short exam again at the recommendation of my professor this semester in my Team Dynamics class.  Sometimes, it’s just nice to know about your MBTI type and what that means about your interaction in the workplace.

This time, I scored as an ISTJ, also known as an, “Inspector.”  The following are some elements of the ISTJ personality type:

  • Thrive on organization.
  • Keep lives and environments well-regulated.
  • Earn success by thoroughness and dependability.
  • Enjoy creating order in their personal/professional lives.
  • Weigh options when making decisions.
  • Well-prepared for most eventualities.
  • Value traditions and loyalty.

The other thing that I find so interesting and so accurate about this description is the extroverted thinking and the introverted feeling.  I enjoy interacting with other people, but I don’t let a lot of people in to know the truth of what’s going on in my head – this makes me an introvert to the core.

Perhaps this is also to my detriment, seeing as the number of people I trust implicitly I can count on one hand with fingers left over.  Perhaps this is why I get so upset when I feel like I’m on the outside of so many of my friendships.

Here are some people that David Kiersey has identified by behavior as ISTJs:

  • Harry Truman
  • Queen Victoria
  • George Washington
  • Warren Buffet
  • John Rockafeller

I suppose some of my “fellow” ISTJs could be thought of as non-admirable.  But I could think of worse people to be like.

January 27, 2011

~ Julia

I did actually finish Medium Raw, recently, and really enjoyed it.  For one, I’m a big fan of Anthony Bourdain’s writing.  I know nothing of his cooking, and some of his TV Show hosting, but the best way to woo me is through the written word, and between Medium Raw and A Cook’s Tour, I feel as though I was sufficiently woo’ed.

I’ll have more to say about the book when I’ve digested it.  There are some themes in the book that “clicked” and I’ll mention those later.

Medium Raw was the first of five non-fiction books I needed to read during this Day Zero Project.  With the speed that I got through it, I’m wondering if I should up the intake from 5 to 10.

In addition, despite all of the podcasts I listed in this post, I’m thinking I need a break, and I want to move back into audiobooks.  The last audiobook I listened to was Malcom Gladwell’s Blink, and that was in August of last year.  I’ve been trying for the last few months to get Kitchen Confidential on audibook, but neither my library, nor the Ohio Statewide Catalog have it.  I can request that my library buy a copy, but I feel bad making them foot the bill.

Though, in my desperation to absorb as many books as I can this year, I think I  might have to bite the bullet and let everyone in Geauga County and the state of Ohio enjoy some Kitchen Confidential assaulting their ears.

January 21, 2011 – Friday 5

~ Julia
And my first Friday5 of the year!
  1. There are superheroes named Superman, Superfly, and Supergirl. Based on your performance this past week in whatever you do, what would have beenyour Super_____ name?
    I want to say SuperProductive, just because I needed to get my CSU tuition reimbursement preparation taken care of for the deadline, but Monday’s sit-on-my-tuchus fest pretty much killed productivity for the week.  How is SuperPresent?  I had an acute awareness of myself this week.
  2. This week, what has been superterrific and what has been superlame?
    Superterrific – I got three separate MK orders, which is nice to have the $$ in my pocket.
    Superlame – I had to drive downtown last night for my 8 o’clock class, it had been snowing (lightly, but enough to create a serious groundcover).  Why is is that  not ONE of the cities in NE Ohio had gotten their salt trucks/plows on the road!?  Not even ODOT had anyone on the road!  90E/W was completely covered, and there wasn’t a lack of traffic.  This morning, very few of the cities had plowed their streets.  How is it that none of the cities have a response for the snow?  It’s not even as if the didn’t know it was coming, or didn’t know what to do in the snow.  I was pissed.  Clearly, I still am.
  3. Which of Superman’s abilities would have been the most useful this week?
    Given last night’s  Plow Idiocy, the gift of flight would have been bitchin’.
  4. What do you most expect will be super this weekend?
    If I can talk The Boy into meeting me downtown after my class tomorrow to get pho, that would be pretty super.
  5. What are your thoughts this week about the coming Super Bowl?
    I give them a “thumbs meh.”  Clearly (clearly), Cleveland is out, and I don’t really care bout any of the other potential teams.

Source: Friday5.org

Podcasts

~ Julia

When it came time for me to start looking for a new vehicle, I had a few deal-breakers, including leather seats, audio jacks, automatic locks, and something I could put a remote starter in.

After looking at the price tags for such fineries, I gave up on leather seats as a non-negotiable.  But dad-gum it, I was going to hang on to having an audio jack like Grim Death.  Little did I realize that in the time from when my old car was built to when I was looking, audio jacks were, like, standard issue, man.

The back-story on the audio jack is thus: I used to be a long-time listener of Opie and Anthony (started when I was in high school), and were thrilled when they finally got a contract on terrestrial radio again.  A few months thereafter, that contract got canceled, so I switched over the local Morning Zoo show, got sick of that sycophantic crap, and made decent use of my Zune and started listening to podcasts. (Side note: I recently checked back into the morning zoo show I used to listen to, and it was like I had never left.  It’s like there’s a formula for that crap!)

I love podcasts for a few reasons: I get to listen to exactly what I want, I get to listen uninterrupted by commercials, and most of the time, I get to learn something.

Here’s currently my list of podcasts.  I pick them up from Zune.  If you listen to them using an Apple product: you’ll have to find them on iTunes.

  • Extra Hot Great: I found them through NPR Culturetopia’s Pop Culture Happy Hour.  I love this podcast: I get to listen to fun, snarky reviews of pop culture everything, without actually having to watch it myself.
  • Get it Done Guy: As a productivity nerd, I love Stever’s podcast.
  • Girlfriend M.D.: I tend to listen to these in clumps.  It’s not my first pick when I have a list of podcasts, but I like them, and they’re informative.
  • Judge John Hodgeman: This is one that I am brand new to, which I heard through Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.  I like John Hodgman: he’s smart, witty, and subtle.
  • Modern Manners Guy: Another podcast that I listen to in clumps.  They’ve been through a few hosts.
  • Pop Culture Happy Hour, from NPR’s Culturetopia: the source for Extra Hot Great, a more PC version, covering slightly different topics.  I love the chemistry of this group, too.
  • Radio Free Burrito: from Wil Wheaton.   Not updated more than 8 times a year, but always a treat when it is.  I find Wil’s Tumblr and blog to be too political for me, but the podcast is fine.
  • Stuff Mom Never Told You: A solid podcast from Stuff You Should Know.
  • Stuff You Missed in History Class: Like the title said, it’s like “the rest of the story” for the history classes you kind of paid attention to in school.
  • Stuff You Should Know Podcast: For a while, I was listening to SYSK exclusively, going through all of the back-logged episodes.  The podcasts are always interesting, even if the topic seems boring, and I think the hosts, Chuck and Josh, have great chemistry.
  • The House Call Doctor: Another podcast I listen to in clumps.  Good information to know, especially when WebMD fails you.
  • The Nerdist: This is a new podcast for me, and I’m not a G4 nerd, so I don’t catch too much Chris Hardwick on TV, but I really like the guests he seems to grab.  And the Anamanaguchi opening credit music is pretty awesome.
  • The Public Speaker: This podcast is so, so helpful.  It’s part of the reason why I’ve been able to nail the presentations I’ve given in both work and school.
  • This American Life: Standard nerd faire.  I mostly listen to this at work.
  • WTF with Marc Maron: This was a reccomendation from the Zune marketplace.  I got on this podcast from episode 1 – the only time I’ve ever gotten in on anything on the ground floor (except maybe also Justified).  It’s been a fun ride watching it grow and see Marc Maron have a revival.